Tripadvisor
The Lord's Tavern — Drinking Inside Cricket's Cathedral
The pub inside Lord's Cricket Ground, next to the Grace Gates
Most pubs near cricket grounds are outsie cricket grounds. The Lord's Tavern is inside one. Sit on the front terrace and you're on Lord's property, Grace Gates ten metres away, the Tavern Stand directly overhead.
There's been a pub on this site since the 19th century. The original was a hotel funded by a gin magnate. The current building dates from 1967, and the Tavern Stand was built on top of it, which means on match days the separation between pub and ground disappears entirely. The noise comes from above. The cricket is right there.
The food is wider than you'd expect. Welsh rarebit and pork pies alongside jerk chicken wings and Sri Lankan curry. A burger and pint is about £12, which is reasonable for this postcode. The kitchen works seasonally.
For the India ODI the pub fills early. Book the terrace if the weather cooperates — there's a screen outside and you can watch the first few overs before heading to your seat. Opens at 11am. Cashless. Reservations at tavern@mcc.org.uk.
Why it's special
This is the pub that has been inside the most important cricket ground on earth for the better part of a century. Not across the road. Inside. On an India match day, when the ground is full and the Tavern terrace is three deep and blue shirts are everywhere — there is nowhere else in London quite like it.
Insider tips
- 1
The Tavern fills up fast on match days, especially during the lunch interval. If you want a table rather than standing room at the bar, get there by 12:30 at the latest. The regulars know this; the tourists find out the hard way.
- 2
Ask for a table on the ground floor rather than upstairs. The ceiling is lower up there and it gets loud. Ground floor has a bit more breathing room and you can hear yourself think between overs.
- 3
The hot food can be slow when the bar is packed. If you're eating between innings, order early or you'll still be waiting when play resumes.
- 4
Don't bother arriving before 11am expecting a quiet pre-match pint. The Tavern doesn't open until 11, and the queue forms outside even before the doors do on big match days.
Practical info
- Hours
- 11am (12pm on Sundays)
- Getting there
- Lord’s Tavern is very close to the centre of London – just 1.5 miles from Marble Arch. St John’s Wood is the closest tube station (approximately 5 minutes’ walk), and Warwick Avenue, Marylebone, Edgware Road and Baker Street are all within 15 minutes’ walk.
- Address
- Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood Road, London NW8 8NQ
